For both the oracle and the shaman who take the Heavens as their mystery the 20th level power includes "if you are killed you come back as a star child that matures over 7 days". What exactly is a "star child" it does not appear in any Beastiary and it seems to be specifically chosen wording without much explanation?

A star child is a 20th level character who took the Heavens mystery. That's pretty much it. It's basically just a bit of flavor, and something of a semi-2001 easter egg.

So another question about Ileosa's infernal contract, this time about devil bounded to her:

"IN ADDENNUM shall the erinyes heretic ZANZINARIA"

I'm mainly curious at that "erinyes heretic" part, like does that mean Zanzinaria is heretic to devils or is heretic sort of a title or rank for devils or erinyes?

(also, when devil bounded creature dies, does anything happen to devil they were bounded to?)

If you ask questions about an Adventure Path like this, it's generally best to spoiler the question.

Spoiler:

Zanzinaria got in trouble in some way, likely to do with being a heretic, and that's why she got used as "fuel" for the devil bonded template for the queen. What exactly she did is left to the GM's discretion.

When a devil bonded creature dies, what happens to the devil also varies; usually they'd just go back to being normal devils back in Hell though.

I especially like the inclusion of the Mythos Ghouls which brings me to my question, if I include both them and the paralyzing Pathfinder Ghouls in a game what would you suggest I refer to the two creatures as so as to not confuse my players?

Use both. If the players are confused, that's fine, because it's good for the game to be, at times, somewhat unclear about what you're facing. Mythos ghouls and undead ghouls look pretty different, so as long as you're consistent in describing them, it'll be fine.

That being said also in an intermittent Crimson Throne, so thank you for putting that behind a screen.

Do you follow the NFL at all, and if so, what team do you loathe?

I don't follow the NFL really. When I do, I tend to get into the Seahawks (cause of Seattle) or the 49rs (cause of my Dad being a fan of them), but lately I've been MUCH more into basketball, with the Golden State Warriors being my favorite team.

I especially like the inclusion of the Mythos Ghouls which brings me to my question, if I include both them and the paralyzing Pathfinder Ghouls in a game what would you suggest I refer to the two creatures as so as to not confuse my players?

Use both. If the players are confused, that's fine, because it's good for the game to be, at times, somewhat unclear about what you're facing. Mythos ghouls and undead ghouls look pretty different, so as long as you're consistent in describing them, it'll be fine.

So reading the following excerpt from Blood of Fiends, regarding common locations for asura-blooded tieflings, got me wondering...

"Faultspawn are most common in Vudra, though following the death of Aroden a sizable number of asuras have made destructive pilgrimages to those sites where he dallied with the occasional mortal or that most clearly mark his fall."

...are there any notable descendants of Aroden? Specifically I have to wonder if it may have been why he sponsored so many demigods, like it would be pretty cool if he was actually Iomedae's father or something.

James, has Pazio ever considered tieing together the 5 yearly hard back with a novel to kind of fictionally demonstrate what's going on in the Hardback. example if a new class or race is introduced in One of the Ultimate lines a novel has elements of the new class or race in it. I really like the iconic stories just expand them more and include them in a novel released around the same time. I miss the novel line as it has been cut back in the numbers that are released each year.

James, has Pazio ever considered tieing together the 5 yearly hard back with a novel to kind of fictionally demonstrate what's going on in the Hardback. example if a new class or race is introduced in One of the Ultimate lines a novel has elements of the new class or race in it. I really like the iconic stories just expand them more and include them in a novel released around the same time. I miss the novel line as it has been cut back in the numbers that are released each year.

Mr. Jacobs. I'm sure that this has been asked of you before, but honestly I don't think you can fault me for not wanting to dig through 1399 pages for the response. My question is. Will Paizo ever correct some of the inaccuracies regarding weapon weights and other misc things or will that simply be allowed to remain in favor of other projects?

I ask this because weapons like the Khopesh which in reality was a very light weapon weighing in at roughly 2 pounds is listed as 8 pounds, and historically one handed weapons like the Falchion are listed as Two handed.

Mr. Jacobs. I'm sure that this has been asked of you before, but honestly I don't think you can fault me for not wanting to dig through 1399 pages for the response. My question is. Will Paizo ever correct some of the inaccuracies regarding weapon weights and other misc things or will that simply be allowed to remain in favor of other projects?

I ask this because weapons like the Khopesh which in reality was a very light weapon weighing in at roughly 2 pounds is listed as 8 pounds, and historically one handed weapons like the Falchion are listed as Two handed.

Those values are things we inherited from the previous rules, and weren't on our radar to go in and research and correct at the time we were creating Pathfinder—we had bigger fish to fry, frankly. Pathfinder is not meant to be a completely accurate representation of real-world history, after all.

And in a game where what we call a "falchion" is not actually the same thing as a real-world falchion, I'm not too worried about weapon weights exactly matching up to real-world analogs. Feel free to change them in your game if it's too big of a disconnect or messes too much with verisimilitude for you; changing the weights shouldn't really impact any other aspect of game play as far as I can imagine.

HI James, I have got a question on Strange Aeons AP, In the book Cassiidilla is in, she was the ruler of Alar the city the King of Yellow destroyed after a fashion. Is Cassiidilla still alive in some other dimension/Plane?

Can Blackblades communicate with people that are not their weilders. I know that they have Telepathy with their weilder and can understand a number of languages but it is unclear if they can speak or use telepathy to communicate with others.

HI James, I have got a question on Strange Aeons AP, In the book Cassiidilla is in, she was the ruler of Alar the city the King of Yellow destroyed after a fashion. Is Cassiidilla still alive in some other dimension/Plane?

Can Blackblades communicate with people that are not their weilders. I know that they have Telepathy with their weilder and can understand a number of languages but it is unclear if they can speak or use telepathy to communicate with others.

This is two questions, not one. Please limit your posts to one question at a time in the future.

Cassilda's role in Strange Aeons is pretty detailed in that AP. Check the final volume for more details; she's on the cover.

Haven't put any thought at all into blackblades, to the extent that I don't really know what you're talking about.

I know and understand that this game is very difficult to unchain from the previous version mantaining the retro-compatibility.

Is there the will by you and Paizo to create in the future a new set of rules that will prefer the innovation and the symplification of the game with the same care you spended to renouvate the previous version of D&D 3,5?

HI James, I have got a question on Strange Aeons AP, In the book Cassiidilla is in, she was the ruler of Alar the city the King of Yellow destroyed after a fashion. Is Cassiidilla still alive in some other dimension/Plane?

Can Blackblades communicate with people that are not their weilders. I know that they have Telepathy with their weilder and can understand a number of languages but it is unclear if they can speak or use telepathy to communicate with others.

This is two questions, not one. Please limit your posts to one question at a time in the future.

Cassilda's role in Strange Aeons is pretty detailed in that AP. Check the final volume for more details; she's on the cover.

Haven't put any thought at all into blackblades, to the extent that I don't really know what you're talking about.

Having played Bladebound Magus extensively, Every GM I have ever had has not allowed the blade to speak to anyone else. It's telepathic link is to the owner just as it alludes to in the description.

I know and understand that this game is very difficult to unchain from the previous version mantaining the retro-compatibility.

Is there the will by you and Paizo to create in the future a new set of rules that will prefer the innovation and the symplification of the game with the same care you spended to renouvate the previous version of D&D 3,5?

Having played Bladebound Magus extensively, Every GM I have ever had has not allowed the blade to speak to anyone else. It's telepathic link is to the owner just as it alludes to in the description.

Please don't start discussions—I need folks to keep their posts to this thread limited strictly to questions to me so things remain manageable by me. If you want to give someone feedback like this, start a new thread or send them a PM.

I know and understand that this game is very difficult to unchain from the previous version mantaining the retro-compatibility.

Is there the will by you and Paizo to create in the future a new set of rules that will prefer the innovation and the symplification of the game with the same care you spended to renouvate the previous version of D&D 3,5?

Check out Starfinder.

When does we'll see that with sword without laser & dragons that don't take the shuttle to fly?

I know and understand that this game is very difficult to unchain from the previous version mantaining the retro-compatibility.

Is there the will by you and Paizo to create in the future a new set of rules that will prefer the innovation and the symplification of the game with the same care you spended to renouvate the previous version of D&D 3,5?

Check out Starfinder.

When does we'll see that with sword without laser & dragons that don't take the shuttle to fly?

I know and understand that this game is very difficult to unchain from the previous version mantaining the retro-compatibility.

Is there the will by you and Paizo to create in the future a new set of rules that will prefer the innovation and the symplification of the game with the same care you spended to renouvate the previous version of D&D 3,5?

Check out Starfinder.

When does we'll see that with sword without laser & dragons that don't take the shuttle to fly?

In Tian Xia, the pantheon includes Shelyn as one of the major deities but it does not include Zon-Kuthon. So how Tian Shelyn priests regard the myths in Shelyn's religion that include her brother? Do they ignore those myths completely or talk about Zon-Kuthon as much as other priests of Shelyn do?

I know and understand that this game is very difficult to unchain from the previous version mantaining the retro-compatibility.

Is there the will by you and Paizo to create in the future a new set of rules that will prefer the innovation and the symplification of the game with the same care you spended to renouvate the previous version of D&D 3,5?

Check out Starfinder.

When does we'll see that with sword without laser & dragons that don't take the shuttle to fly?

Not now, that's for sure!

There will be Pathfinder 2.0 or only a new parallel set of rules?

Not now, that's for sure!

But that said, I don't answer questions about things that don't exist yet. Please keep your questions about Paizo products to currently announced or released products so that folks don't get confused.

In Tian Xia, the pantheon includes Shelyn as one of the major deities but it does not include Zon-Kuthon. So how Tian Shelyn priests regard the myths in Shelyn's religion that include her brother? Do they ignore those myths completely or talk about Zon-Kuthon as much as other priests of Shelyn do?

They don't. That's not part of the mythology or faith or scripture when someone from Tian-Xia worships Shelyn. Zon-Kuthon doesn't really play any role at all in the Dragon Empires pantheon whatsoever.

Put another way, Shelyn is about MUCH more than her brother's relationship, and she is not solely defined by Zon-Kuthon.

In regards to the awesome Void Dragons from Bestiary 4, how does their Suffocating Breath power work?

"Instead of dealing cold damage, a very young or older void dragon can breathe a cone-shaped suffocation effect. An air-dependent creature that fails its Fortitude save suffocates for a number of rounds equal to the dragon’s age category. The save DC is Constitution-based."

Does it immediately set them to suffocating per the environmental rules (Unconscious @0hp, -1hp and dying, dead), does it just make them hold their breath, or does it allow multiple saves a la the Suffocation spell?

It seems like the first option is a good recipe if you hate your players and want a TPK, the second is only useful for flavor since darn near any PC can hold their breath 12 rounds, and the third is balanced but still nasty, but also not at all supported by the ability description as written.

I read several pages of the Return of the Runelords discussion last night, and then proceeded to have a dream about them.

I find both the concept of the Runelords/sins/virtues, as well as Thassilon being a nation founded by/on them utterly fascinating and incredibly unique, so kudos there.

My question, how did you(or whoever else) come up with said awesome concepts?

It was mostly me, with help from Wes. And inspiration from a wide range of other stories I've read or watched over the years, plus elements drawn from my homebrew setting.

In other words, I did this by immersing myself in the horror and fantasy genre for decades so that when it came time to come up with a group of bad guys for Pathfinder, I had a lifetime of experience and practice in coming up with new content in the genre.

In regards to the awesome Void Dragons from Bestiary 4, how does their Suffocating Breath power work?

"Instead of dealing cold damage, a very young or older void dragon can breathe a cone-shaped suffocation effect. An air-dependent creature that fails its Fortitude save suffocates for a number of rounds equal to the dragon’s age category. The save DC is Constitution-based."

Does it immediately set them to suffocating per the environmental rules (Unconscious @0hp, -1hp and dying, dead), does it just make them hold their breath, or does it allow multiple saves a la the Suffocation spell?

It seems like the first option is a good recipe if you hate your players and want a TPK, the second is only useful for flavor since darn near any PC can hold their breath 12 rounds, and the third is balanced but still nasty, but also not at all supported by the ability description as written.

Rules questions should be ask in the product thread or rules forums, so that folks can FAQ them and so that the design team can see them.

Hi James, I have got a design question on the Shifter. If the shifter is supposed to be a martial the class the it should have IMO Simple and martial weapons. As it is a shifting class that does not have a class special ability to have its armor and weapons mere with it when it changes form. Then IMO it should have Simple and martial weapons and not have medium armor. The Shifter has the Monk Wisdom bonus to AC that is another reason for it not to have Medium armor as it would loose that bonus if he wore medium armor.

I hope this does not violate the one question rule I am really more interusted in the first part weapons and armor the second part is more of an observation on my part.